Nunc Dimittis
Robinson McClellan
About this work:
This musical setting of the Nunc Dimittis (text: Luke 2:29-32) was commissioned by Yale Schola Cantorum (Simon Carrington, director) to be performed alongside a Magnificat by Monteverdi. Following a long tradition in the Anglican Evensong service, composers often set the two texts as a pair. The Nunc features the four soloists in the new voice program in early music at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale, and is dedicated to my grandfather James McClellan, a fine sculptor and comitted atheist who, at age 94, was often in my thoughts as I wrote the piece.
Yale Schola Cantorum premiered the piece April 19, 2005 at the Beinecke rare books library at Yale. The piece was performed three times during Schola's May 2005 tour of southern England, at Winchester Cathedral, Magdalen College at Oxford, and St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The soloists are:
Peter Park, tenor (opening and closing plainchant)
Mellissa Hughes, soprano
Ian Howell, alto
Derek Chester, tenor
Douglas Williams, bass
TEXT (choir sings in Latin, soloists in English):
Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart
secundum verbum tuum, in pace.
in peace, according to thy word.
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum,
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Quod parasti ante facem omnium populorum,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
Lumen
A light to reveal thee to the Gentiles,
ad revelationem gentium,
et gloriam plebis tuae Israel. Gloriam.
Et Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
and for glory to thy people Israel.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
(English version adapted by the composer from the 1928 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer)
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:04:15
Ensemble type: Chorus, with or without Solo Voices:Chorus, Unaccompanied
Instrumentation: 1 S,1 S soloist(s), 1 A,1 A soloist(s), 1 T,1 T soloist(s), 1 B,1 B soloist(s)